Voice & Vote Exhibition

As part of the Councils' celebrations of this historic centenary year of suffrage, members of staff from departments across the Councils took a trip to London to visit the Voice and Vote Exhibition at Westminster Hall and have an audio tour of the Houses of Parliament. The visit on 24 August 2018 was also in support of National Democracy Week 2018.

In February 2018, women Council workers and Councillors, as well as residents and staff from Chesham Town Council, were pictured celebrating their right to vote with 'I Vote' signs as part of the #Vote100 campaign. The trip the exhibition and Houses of Parliament was a continuation of these celebrations.

Members of staff from the Planning, Democratic and Electoral Services and Communications teams took the trip to London which began with a visit to the Voice & Vote Exhibition. The exhibition covered the campaign for votes for women and the representation of women in the House of Commons and House of Lords. Rare and previously unseen historic pieces from Parliamentary and private collections were on display, telling the story of the suffragist and suffragette movements - their campaigning, protests and achievements.

Interesting fact: resident of Cliveden, Nancy Astor, was the first female MP to take her seat in Parliament.

Staff placed coloured pins onto the wall pictured below and made a pledge to support democracy. The blue pins represented a pledge to vote in elections!

This was followed by an audio tour of the Houses of Parliament, and then a bite to eat afterwards!